WOW Antartica, please tell me you saw some Emperor Penguins, they are amazing!! I too am booked to Spitsbergen and like yourself really excited. I belong to a camera club and several of our members have done this trip and haven't been disappointed, even last year there was still ice around, and some of the shots of mother bears and cubs were amazing!!!!! I am, at the moment, venturing into AV mode, having been a strictly automatic photograher todate, but now, being retired, have more time to concentrate on my photography, the downside being, the grey cells need kick starting to take in all the technology including Elements 10!!!! What camera equipment do you intend taking?

Keen to hear what others are taking camera wise. I think I'm taking a Canon 500D with an image stabalised 18-55 and 70-300, plus a Powershot SX50 so I have a bit of versatility in one bit of kit and two lenses for the SLR wiich are pretty good but won't leave me traumatised if they get doused in salt water!!! Am also pretty excted - even more so after watching the BBC programme The Polar Bear Family and Me!

Hi there - Another Canon fan, great. I have a 400D, standard lens, Tameron 10 - 24 and my absolute favourite a Sigma 150 - 500. I also have a very useful Fugifilm Finepix XP50 all weather, which has proved very efficient in wet conditions. Would really like a second Canon body, but will have to wait on that one. As I previously mentioned several memers of my camera club have done the trip and haven't been disappointed, however, as you know where wildlife is concerned there's a huge element of luck involved, but I'm sure Mr Goldstein will do his damdest to ensure we have a successful trip. Can't wait!!

As there are a few dates in July, im going on dates Tue 16 Jul - Sun 28 Jul 13 with Paul Goldstein.

Svalbard is a great place with great photographic opportunities. I was there in 2009 with Paul and im expecting great things on this return.. For those not been before its like no place on earth and will get you hooked on polar travel. I traveled to Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica a year later. 24 hour day light is a photographers dream and we had a good light and sunshine when i was there last, in fact i got sunburnt at 2am in the morning whilst watching a polar bear and cub through a scope, only me and paul on deck, great memories.. any questions on camera gear im happy to answer what i know...See you all in July

In all my trips ive only ever seen people use knee pads once and that was in South Georgia when you spend more time kneeling to get eye level shots of penguins etc.. I wont be taking them.. Its a personal thing i would guess and how comfortable an individual feels on there knees. As for photographic gear i will be taking 2 bodies, one loaded with a 17-85 and another with a 100-400 at the moment but that may change to a 500 prime or 200-400 if canon release it in time (highly unlikely though).. I have 6x16gb cards which should cover 3000 images but i will back up to a data storage device coupled on an ipad.. A monopod will be taken, not sure about a tripod yet.. Will also be taking some rain protection for my gear in case the weather changes..

Really looking forward to the trip and have loads of questions. My kit is an EOS 5D Mk II with various lenses from 16 to 300mm. Last year I hired a 500mm for an African safari and am thinking of doing the same again plus a 1.4x converter. Am also considering hiring a second camera body for the reasons Matt M mentioned. Are there any evening slide shows planned or have I missed them? Look forward to meeting fellow travellers.

JC if you're hiring a second camera body it might be worth going for the 7D as the cropped sensor will reduce the field of view by 1.6x so a 300mm lens has the same field of view as a 480mm lens on a full frame sensor camera - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/APS-C

I'll be using my 7D for longer shots and my 5D mk II for landscapes and close shots.

Interesting idea. What do you think of the difference in quality, though? I worry that having got used to the quality of the full frame sensor I'd regard all the shots from the 7D as not quite as good. That's not to criticise it as a camera, or anyone who's got one, but one reason I bought the 5D was becasue of the image quality (obviously, I guess).

Interesting idea. What do you think of the difference in quality, though? I worry that having got used to the quality of the full frame sensor I'd regard all the shots from the 7D as not quite as good. That's not to criticise it as a camera, or anyone who's got one, but one reason I bought the 5D was becasue of the image quality (obviously, I guess).

The 5D is definately better when using higher ISO settings, I generally don't print my photos bigger than A4 (they mostly go on a couple of digital photo frames and my website) so any quality differences aren't apparent. For me the advantage of the cropped sensor on the 7D (plus more focussing facilities) outway possible quality differences with the 5D for longer distance wildlife shots, plus all my lenses are EF mount so I can use them on either body.

I did consider hiring a long prime lens but my home city is now almost bereft of high end camera shops, based on previous wildlife trips it would be handy to have a fast prime telephoto lens for low light conditions but they are quite heavy and too expensive to purchase for one trip.

I'm probably going to bring a monopod in case I need it on deck, a tripod would probably be too cumbersome.

I do sometimes print at A2 and I have one A1 image on my wall, though like you, I usually send to my website or print smaller into photobooks. Re hiring a lens: I've used Lenses for Hire in the past and will be doing so again. They deliver and pick up, and make the whole experience really easy. The 500mm is a big lens, but worth it I reckon esp with the 1.4 converter. I'm only going on this trip once!

I use a 7D and have images blown up on to large canvass and have no problem with image quality.. On paper the 7D would be an advantage for wildlife over the 5dmk2 for a couple of reasons, increased FPS, more AF points and obviously the 1.6 crop factor but its personal choice as is all photography. The 500 + 1.4tc would give you great reach as long as you have an alternative lens should subjects get much closer.. When I was there in 2009 a prime would really be the only option as bears were distant, however many of the recent trips have seen bears much closer so a range of accessible lens would be my suggestion or a zoom such as a 100-400 or 50-500 if shooting sigma. It’s the old Prime versus Zoom debate and one I won’t get into here, once canon release the 200-400 this will be the lens of choice given is sharpness of a prime and versatility of being a zoom, a reason why im holding off buying the 500 prime.. Many people take tripods on this trip for using on the ship.. There is allot of waiting and scoping for movement in the snow scape so tripods really help but again its personal choice as they can’t be used in the zodiacs but then again neither can monopods..

Just to add regarding ISO capabilities. I fully agree that full frame or 1.3 crop is better than 1.6 but it makes very little difference in the Arctic given 24 hour sunlight and shooting with Snow. I used a very basic Crop SLR set up in South Georgia and Antarctica and had no issue and very little noise. The only time that iso might go higher is if bad weather turns up or shooting against the dark grey of cliffs in poor light but a 7D is fine in my opinion. But again it’s all subjective, If you were going to hire then why not just go with a 5dmk3, the wildlife togs alternative to the 1dx..

Hi all
Is there going to be a London evening pre trip?. I woul love to pick the brains of someone who has been on it (eg Matt?.) re kit and clothes etc.

I'd there isn't an official one I'd b happy to arrange a get together in London.

Thanks for all advice re camera lens and tripods. I am planning to take a tripod for use on the ship. Will I need a monopod for use in the dinghy?
Re other landscape kit raisd by trimx... I'm taking everything inc filters because Sod's law dictates that whatever I don't take is just what I will need:-(
Matt... I hadn't thought of hiring a mk 3 as the other body. What do you see as advantages?
JC

Hi all
Is there going to be a London evening pre trip?. I woul love to pick the brains of someone who has been on it (eg Matt?.) re kit and clothes etc.

I'd there isn't an official one I'd b happy to arrange a get together in London.

Thanks for all advice re camera lens and tripods. I am planning to take a tripod for use on the ship. Will I need a monopod for use in the dinghy?
Re other landscape kit raisd by trimx... I'm taking everything inc filters because Sod's law dictates that whatever I don't take is just what I will need:-(
Matt... I hadn't thought of hiring a mk 3 as the other body. What do you see as advantages?
JC

I remember when my kids were teenagers and went on school trips, they were always concerned taht their bags would be far bigger (or smaller) than their friends'. I think I'm going to get the same anxiety on this trip. I usually put my camera bag and laptop in a wheelie bag so it goes as carry-on, even on EasyJet where you can only take one bag into the cabin. On this trip we've asked to take 'soft sided' luggage as it is easy to store. Hmmm... then I thought maybe take my camera bag and a separate bag for the laptop, leaving behind the wheelie bag.

Im northern based so unavailable for anything that exodus arrange in the south.

You do need really to take soft sided bags for your main luggage as storage in the cabins is very limited, exodus do sell them and they last for along time and very durable. Monopods as far as i remember are not to be used in the zodiacs, you either handhold or use the sides of the zodiac for support and crouch in the bottom. I could be wrong though but i dont remember anyone using them on my last 2 polar trips.. The zodiacs are snug so it needs clients to work together when photograph opportunities arise.. Polarizer is a must for landscape work, i guess if you like landscapes photography it would be worth bringing ND Grade Filters or alike, i will just take a Polarizer for wide angle work..

John, i think the 5dmk3 is a fantastic body as it inherits AF from the 1dx, it also has 61 point AF and more FPS the the 5dmk2.. Its very much the choice of many wildlife photographers over the 1dx because its much more affordable. If you google John e marriott he is a pro that uses 5dmk3 as his weapon of choice.. His images speak for themselves..

Thanks...all that advice is very useful.Will check out the mk3 hire situation.

Given how 'snug' the Zodiacs are, I assume why will accommodate a long lens? The 500mm which I hired for Kenya safari last year is a bit of a monster, long and wide. The updated one is lighter but not sure it is any shorter/narrower. Also...is it normal to take two camera bodies into the zodiac?

John, 500 is no problem.. Many clients take big primes.. As far as i can remember the Zodiacs take 10 people plus driver so its just a case of working with other clients should there be an open water photo opportunity. Everyone wants to get an image but chaos results in no one getting anything, its a case of taking in turns in some instances.. As for 2 bodies, yes 100% standard practice, would you really want to miss a shot because your changing lenses, i know i dont.. All the gear you take in the zodiac has to fit in a backpack and be on you back for going down the gangplank as you need to have both hands free to hold on to the railings... The weather is normally good and we had many days of fantastic weather last time to the degree that i got sunburnt at 2am in the morning watching a polar bear and cub through a spoyying scope.. 24 hour sunlight dont forget, photographers dream.. plenty of cards and regular backups. i have a 500gb storage device that i take and have 6 x 16gb cards which should be good for 3000 images :)

Apologies for trying to use you as the main resource for my q's, but two more q's if you don't mind:

How similar is the 5D mk III to use (compared to the Mk II)? I don't want to miss a shot while fiddling with the controls any more than while changing lenses. As I'm so familiar with the MkII the controls seem intuitive.

Back to the kit issue: I assume you take a laptop with you in addition to your camera bag. If so, how do you transport it on the plane? Do you have a huge camera bag that takes the laptop as well as your kit, or a separate computer bag? (I know some airlines eg Easyjet only allow one piece of hand luggage, which is why I put my camera bag and laptop in a wheelie bag.

Ive never used the 5d range but in most cases the canon range have the same look and feel so it should be a pick up and use type situation. Most camera shops should have the 5dmk3 available to the customer so it might be worth taking a trip to a store. There will be new features on the mk3 but i wouldnt of thought it will be a big change from an ergonomics point of view. Of course i would hate for you to hire this lens and this a shot because i ill advised you.. Please only do what you feel comfortable with as the mk2 will cope fine and its your trip at the end of the day..

As for laptop, no i dont take one as i have enough gear to take, laptops are just another weight. I take an Ipad with photoediting software on. I use this just to view a few images throughout the trip. I have photo editing software on it so can do some work to see what an end result may look like. I back up all images to a 500gb Sanho Colourspace UDMA2 photo viewer. Its very like the epson and jobo image viewers but much faster and cheaper. Its fairly clunky but smaller then a laptop and transfer speed from card to device is immense. All of this kit goes with me in one lowepro camera pack on the plane, as my lens isnt that big then the bag itself isnt that huge but i would still do the same if i had a 500mm as i know that its one piece of handluggage in most instances so i adhere to that as i wouldnt want any of this kit going into the hold..

You might want to consider what your going to do if it rains and how you would protect your gear. In addition i would get some silica gell packs and put them in your day to day camera bag as the gear will get very cold when out in the field and the silica will help reduce moisture when it gets brought in from the cold to the warmth of the ship.

If you have any urgent questions that i miss on here, im on facebook both as me (im the profile picture dressed in a quark yellow jacket with a penguin in Antarctica) and also my photography page i to Image Photography.

Wow, please don't apologise for asking your questions JC, all answer/info very useful, thanks Matt. I live in the Southwest (Somerset) are there any other 'females' in the area joining this adventure. Getting so close now, extremely excited.

Hi again Matt (and Julia et al). I couldn't find you on the web or FB...can you send a link? I'd love to see your images. I've taken your advice and hired the 5D mkIII, and have already hired the 500mm, so that's sorted. A couple more q's:

How wet does it get? Do we need something to prevent splashes gettting onto the gear, or something more serious? What do you use?

What photo editing software to you use on your iPad? I have CS6 but didn't thnk that was available for IOS devices. Thanks again. btw I tried to change my profile pic away from the baby gorilla but whatever I do, the gorilla refuses to budge. Obstinate so and so! JC

Don't panic Julia, yes there are definitely other girls on the trip, I'm one of them!

Looking forward to leaving but haven't even thought about clothes etc yet (trying to enjoy the final arrival of summer here first!), am predicting a last minute visit to Cotswold for layers.. On the photo kit side of things, Im taking a 7D and 5dMk2 as bodies, a 17-40 wide angle, a 100-400mm and am contemplating hiring a 500mm, not sure yet. When I went to the Mara on Paul's trip last summer I took my laptop and a hard drive to back up to but not sure how feasible that will be on a boat! I'm planning on booking into the June photo evening so hope to meet some of you there.

Sarah I have same kit as you 100-400-- Canon lens and 5Dmk2...will be v envious of a 500mm lens but you can hire these from "lenses for hire .co.uk"

the London June presentation evening will be great to get info and perhaps a few of us meet up.

For info i asked ref cabin luggage..... and was advised 8kg within size bag will be allowed PLUS small laptop bag which i intend taking...with a 4 way powergang for the cabin to connect to onecabin confirmed 2pin ship powerpoint so both occupants can plug in!

I intend using 5dmk2 with 100-400lens and Canon550 with a Canon L series17-40 lens

I am taking laptop and external hardrivre so can save images but also after day one see if they are exposed ok!

Am taking tripod for the boat and monopod also...plus some clothes ...white soks!

Hi all...great to meet some of you online, and have now booked into the pre-trip London event, so hope to meet more folks there.

Matt many thanks for all the gear tips. I've taken your lead and invested in the image viewer. I have an iPad so with those two I won't take the laptop. Looks like most of us are taking similar kit, two bodies and either the zoom up to 400mm or hiring a 500mm. I've done a few African safaris (none with PG...looking forward to that) but none in the snow, so what else will I need? Polarising filters, I guess? I'm taking a tripod for the shots on the boat, not planning to take a monopod.

Clothes...I assume it's thermals and layers? Someone (Matt?) mentioned getting sunburned so I assume sun block is definitely needed. What about gloves? I have gloves with fingers but the tips cut off for camera work, so I can use the controls. Will they be too cold out there? If so, should I start practising to use the camera with gloves on? (Just joking...I think.)

Just a thought for those renting 500mm primes and apologies if I'm stating the obvious here. Make sure you either rent a tripod and head that can take the additional weight or borrow if what you have won't hold it.. Some recommend that a tripod should take 2 x loaded weight as in some instances you will be loading the tripod by holdings the lens etc.. In my opinion big primes are best with gimbals so weight is around 6.4 kg for your lens, body and gimbal. So your minimum max load for your tripod should be 13kg if using the 2x theory.. I would hate to see anyone gear break whilst out there and it's a different consideration to Africa where you use beanbags in vehicles.. As I say apologies for stating the obvious to anyone.. I've just spent just shy of £1k on tripod and gimbal and although I'm only taking a 100-400, I want to future proof my purchase for gear upgrade. Unfortunately I would of had a 500 prime or even better the new canon 200-400 by now but I'm going through redundancy at work so I've got the minimum which is the support..

Hi I saw a comment about laptops and how feasible they are on the boat.. This vessel is impressive, no issues with power sockets its a home from home... This will be my third time on this polar ship and its the best in fleet, everything about it is first class but it has been a working ship so its not all marble and posh frocks, that's it charm its a vessel meant to be in the arctic unlike some out of place pleasure cruisers.. John, yes polariser for your landscape work as it will be in plentiful use with the stunning snowscapes. As for gloves, personal choice on how much you feel the cold. I don't use them and didn't wear them last time in Svalbard or South Georgia or Antarctica even when it was mighty cold as I say, if you feel the cold use them as there is nothing worse then being cold.. Take them anyway and have them in your pocket just in case..

You should of all had the gear rental list from exodus regarding hire of jackets etc.. Take this offer up as its one less thing to take and there gear is very very good.. The rest is layers, thick socks, thermals, sunscreen, hats, warm pants (joggers and thermals can work). If your not taking up the hire route, waterproof pants, waterproof jackets, down jacket etc... Exodus will advise on what to take and the guys there know much much more then I do :)

Morning all
I'm in Paris for my birthday weekend and am using this trip as a way to test out my new system which I will use on our trip. Last night I took photos of Notre Dame on my 5D, transferred them to the UDMA2 recommended by Matt then sent them wirelessly to my iPad from the same device. This morning I did some basic edits on them using Photoshop Touch on my iPad then emailed them to a friend. It all worked!!,

Isnt technology fabulous?
If anyone is thinking of a similar set up I highly recommend it.

Just adding to a few of the comments above, I have been lucky enough to travel on the Vavilov and its sister ship the Ioffe, no thrills but perfect for theses polar trips.
The Vavilov has a great lounge up on the top deck where you can sit and view the surroundings, I would recommend spending as much time as possible (weather permitting) on deck, or on the bridge, I must admit I cannot believe how many people stay in cabins and wander why they miss something !
With regard to outdoor clothing - the worst thing is the wind chill, the temperatures are generally around 0deg as the ship can only go where the ice has melted, waterproof trouser essential for the zodiac rides, for general clothing - use the on board laundry service so you do not need to take 2 weeks worth of clothes.
As for camera gear i will be taking 2no Nikon Camera Bodies, 24-70 & 70-200 lenses + 1.4 & 2 * converters, as for tripod & monopod ? On the ship most people hand hold or rest cameras on the handrails. On 'land' tripods & monpods can be used (monopod or trek pod useful as on previous trips have involved trekking through snowfields so a used as walking stick / pole), I will be taking a computer with me but have been looking at the UDMA 2 - where can you buy these ?

Hi andy
Thanks for the clothing tips. I bought my UDMA 2 online. I looked around and there didn't seem to be much diff in price. I got Terabyte version as I think the more storage the better. I've been using it all weekend and it's great. Transferring images is pretty fast and certainly easy.
I believe there is an iPad USB cable which would probably do the transfer part of the job... But I'm using iPad to view my images then just transfer the ones I want.
Are you going to,the London evening?
JC

Hi andy
Thanks for the clothing tips. I bought my UDMA 2 online. I looked around and there didn't seem to be much diff in price. I got Terabyte version as I think the more storage the better. I've been using it all weekend and it's great. Transferring images is pretty fast and certainly easy.
I believe there is an iPad USB cable which would probably do the transfer part of the job... But I'm using iPad to view my images then just transfer the ones I want.
Are you going to,the London evening?
JC

Hi John, unfortunately I cannot make the Paul Goldstein talk but I will interested to see the feedback from it, I did attend ones of these a couple of years ago, I did ask about lenses and was told 300mm max ! , I wander if this is still the case,
Andy

Ive never been able to transfer images from a UDMA2 to Ipad unless i shoot Jpeg which i dont. i just copy the files to a SD Card and then put the SD Card into the Ipad, pain in the ass but it works for RAW files...

My view on lenses is 400mm at a minumim, saying that my partner is only taking a 70-300 and i think that will be fine for her.. When i was there in 2009, 500mm was the minimum needed but i know since then Pauls trips have had better and closer sightings.. I think over 50% of people used tripods on deck the last time i was there.. Handheld for Birds in flight, tripod for Bears of the ship but its whatever people feel comfortable with..

I shoot RAW + JPEG as I like to look at the JPEG file to get an idea of what the RAW will look like after processing. I also use the JPEGs for quick edits, which is what I was doing in Paris at the weekend. However I just tried to transfer some RAW files wirelessly from the UMAD2 to my iPad and it worked. The Canon RAWs come out in CR2 format..I think you use Nikon(?) so I don't know what format they produce.

I downloaded the latest software when I bout the UMAD2...don't know if that fixes a bug?

I shoot Canon but still am unable to transfer files RAW files, I think yours maybe a newer then mine so may be an improved model.. The one i have you need to use an App to browse the images on Ipad and you cant transfer RAW files from that App.. As i say, yours may be a newer version which intergrates better :)

Thanks John, i remember now the tesing i did, which is the same model as yours. When connecting the UDMA2 to Ipad and browsing through Safari, you can indeed see the RAW files, however when you copy them to the Camera Roll in Ipad they are copied as Jpegs. As i want to work on the RAW file, this is why i copy the selected RAW files in the UDMA2 to a SD Card that has teh same file structure as it would in camera. In theory im mimicking the SD card as if it had just come from the canera. Doing this allows me to simply plug the SD card into the Ipad and transfer the RAW files and not Jpeg copies. Using Snapseed by Nix software, i can work in the RAW file, from memory its the only ipad software that works with RAW.

Mountain Warehouse sell silk inner gloves and you can buy on line or in store. You needed both hands to get down the steep steps to the zodiac so we carried our camera equipment inside a waterproof bag carried in a haversack as well as a towel. Sea spray in the zodiac can be significant. The zodiac can be quite bumpy so you need to have at least one hand free. When in the Antarctic no one used a monopod or tripod while traveling in the zodiac. I agree with Andy that you must have wind proof clothing and we bought waterproof overtrousers. Looking forward to meeting all of you. regards Leslie

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